Virgin Atlantic mulls Christmas strike, Dyson wins energy label battle, and more top news

The news professionals in Europe are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments.

Virgin Atlantic’s pilots could be set to strike around Christmas. The Professional Pilots Union — which represents 450 of the 800 pilots — says the carrier is refusing to negotiate with it over proposed changes to pilot benefits, claiming the airline will only deal with rival union BALPA. Air France-KLM is currently in the process of buying 31% of Virgin Atlantic, which reported a ￡28.4 million loss in March compared with a ￡23 million profit the previous year. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Dyson has won its four-year battle with the EU over energy labels. The vacuum cleaner giant had been arguing that EU laboratory tests for the efficiency labels were flawed because they failed to reflect real-life conditions — thus misleading buyers as well as unfairly favouring rivals. Yesterday, the EU’s General Court ruled in Dyson’s favour, a move the company calls “a win for consumers”. The labels will remain in place for 10 weeks to allow for an appeal. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Bonn and Cologne must introduce diesel bans, a German court has ruled. The cities are being forced to ban older diesel vehicles from their streets in a bid to meet EU pollution standards. Berlin and Stuttgart are set to bring in similar rules next year, while Hamburg chose to introduce a ban in May. Last month, chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to stop “disproportionate” bans on diesel cars, which have been under scrutiny since Volkswagen admitted to cheating emissions tests in 2015. ? Here’s what people are saying.

The world’s largest fleet of electric bikes is being rolled out in the Paris region. Public transport network Ile-de-France Mobilités will offer 10,000 of the bikes from September 2019, eventually expanding the “Véligo” service to 20,000. Unlike regular bike-share schemes like Vélib, the bikes will stay with users at a cost of €40 a month — with employers subsidising half. Commuter cycling currently accounts for just 1.6% of daily trips in the area. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Facebook is quadrupling the size of its headquarters in Dublin. The social media giant yesterday confirmed that it will move to an 870,000-square-foot site in Ballsbridge that will allow for an additional 5,000 employees. Ireland, where Facebook currently employs 4,000 people, is a mecca for multinational technology and pharmaceutical firms thanks to its low corporation tax rate. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: Community is important, especially for entrepreneurs, says XPRIZE Foundation chairman and CEO Peter Diamandis.

“To be inventive, to make a difference in the world, an entrepreneur needs a support network that will embrace and explore crazy ideas.”

— Capucine Yeomans